Houseguest
by LightPhyre
Summary: Yuki has always been visited by a stranger during the night, but when she's attacked, he finally reveals his true identity and Yuki is thrown into a world filled with the supernatural. Kaname protects her while he shows her all about his world. And as they become more and more involved with each other, he invites her to explore all different kinds of new and exciting things...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

Yuki Cross was just like any other high school girl at Cross Academy. She slept during class, barely managed to pass each test, and always procrastinated on her homework. The only thing that made her stand out in a crowd was that her father owned the Academy, but her classmates had known that since freshman year, so it wasn't anything special to them anymore.

But Yuki had a secret, and she'd kept it hidden very well over the past few years.

Once in a blue moon, a man would come to her during the night and hold her, and when she fell asleep, he'd vanish. She knew next to nothing about him, including what he looked like, because he always came to her in the dark, and not once had she turned a light on to see him. He never spoke, either. He would just appear in her room on certain nights and she would let him sleep beside her. It was a strange thing, even for Yuki, and yet there was something about him that made all her walls disappear. She trusted this stranger with everything she had. She knew it was stupid, but he'd given her no reason to fear him.

It started when she turned thirteen. On the night of her birthday, she'd left her window open and right before she'd fallen asleep, he appeared as a silhouette next to her bed. At first, she'd been afraid, but just his breathing had calmed her. It had been steady and strangely relaxing. Ever since then, she'd marked on her calendar the days he'd showed up throughout the year. And much to her glee, he came around those same days the next year. And then the next, and soon it became a pattern.

This night was one of those special nights, and Yuki had thrown open her window before the sun had even begun to set behind the horizon. But now it was dark, and she sat on her bed, waiting patiently for him to come to her, as always.

She wanted him to speak. She wanted to hear his voice. Of course, she'd asked him to talk to her before, but he'd always shaken his head. This time was going to be different, for sure. She had the feeling that she could get him to talk this time. She wondered if his voice and appearance were as dark as his aura. The thought excited her, more so than ever before.

It had been almost five months since his last visit, and yet the thought of him kept her awake for hours each night since then. And each time he came, he always ended up leaving before the sun came up. He would disappear sometime when she fell asleep, leaving only the scent of him behind for her when she woke up the next day. This time, she promised herself that she wasn't going to fall asleep. She'd been thinking about this day for a full five months. Before, she'd been content with just having him come to her in silence, but now… Now, Yuki was eighteen years old—a senior at Cross Academy, graduating in only a couple months—and she wanted to find out more about this mysterious man.

But before long, she could feel her eyes getting heavy. She'd been sitting on her bed for four hours, and he wasn't showing. Maybe she'd gotten her days wrong, and it was tomorrow night. She lifted herself up to squint at the calendar on the wall just an inch from her face, but couldn't see anything through the darkness. These dark shadows would make her visitor more comfortable, so she relaxed and waited.

Another long hour passed by and she was fighting sleep. She had school the next morning, and she knew she would feel the consequences of staying up all night during class the next day.

A ruffle in the leaves outside caught her attention and she froze under the covers of her bed. Was he trying to be quiet? Did he think she was already asleep? She wanted to let him know that she was very much awake, but at the same time, she wondered if maybe he would run if she started calling out to him. She just laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for him to come inside.

She heard something near the window and jumped a little from the light noise. He was here! She could hear her heart pounding in her chest, slamming against her ribcage. Even after all the times he came to her, she still got so excited to see him… to feel him next to her again.

Knowing that it was probably dark for him to see, too, she made her breathing a little louder to let him know she was in the bed, but the sound that replied made chills run up her spine.

A low, sharp laugh cut through the silence and she quickly sat upright, eyes wide in her futile attempt to see in the dark. She held her breath and froze. That wasn't him. That couldn't be him… There was no way her visitor could sound like that. This was something else, but what?

It was too dark. She couldn't see, but that also meant that whatever it was couldn't see her, either. She remained silent and still, and listened in fear as footsteps lightly tapped against her bedroom floor. She worried that her racing heartbeat would give her away. It was difficult to stay still with all the adrenaline pumping through her.

But where was he? Was he coming? Did he send this person instead? Why?

"I can smell your rutting, female," a disgustingly high-pitched voice whispered, and Yuki gasped when the voice had come from right next to her ear. She was about to scream, but a large, cold hand covered her mouth and pushed her backwards onto her bed. These cold, clammy hands were definitely unfamiliar and she struggled as much as she could against them.

A pillow was stuffed over her face and she squirmed with all her might, unable to shout out for help and unable to breath. She could feel herself getting weaker and her mindset turned from terrified to hopeless. She was going to die… She didn't know by whom or how or even why this was happening, but she was as good as dead. She didn't understand any of this, but for some reason, she began to blame him. If he hadn't made her think he was coming tonight, she would have never left her window open. She would have never let a stranger into her room with such trust. What the hell was wrong with her?

Suddenly, the pillow was off her face, and Yuki immediately tried to scream, but the noise was caught in her throat and she had to breathe and cough before she could make any sound. As soon as she was able, she opened her mouth to cry out for her father, but another hand was placed over her mouth.

"Shh," a voice whispered next to her ear again and she froze. This was a different voice—a calming voice. Was this him? "It's all right." He heart seemed to slow immediately and she felt her body relax a bit. But then she remembered her attacker, and how he'd only gotten inside her room and on top of her because she'd been so naively trusting of strangers. And although her gut told her she was safe, she started to squirm again and try to break from so she could shout for help.

"Hey, stop!" that same voice whispered. It wasn't the same as the first, but it was still a stranger. "Yuki, stop!" And then she calmed a little. He knew her name… And the way he said it, with the long U. It had to be him… It had to be. Without warning, Yuki felt tears dripping down her face and her sobbing racked her body. She didn't want to die, but her instinct told her she was safe now. She didn't even know what the hell had happened, and yet she trusted whoever this was. And it had to be him.

Strong arms wrapped around her as he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Just don't shout," he said softly. "You're fine."

"Wh… What…"

"Shh, just relax."

This was his plan. He was going to calm her down and then tell her to go to sleep, and then when she woke up in the morning he would be gone, as always, with no trace left of him. That was how it was so easy to keep him a secret from the world—it always seemed as if he wasn't really there. But she knew that was a lie. She could feel him now. She could reach out and touch him and he was very much real.

"What… was that?"

"Shh…"

"Tell me," she whispered, as he held her gently against him. He moved so that his full body was on her bed and he was lying beside her, his chest next to her face. "Please."

"Go to sleep, Yuki. Everything's fine."

His voice was calming, soothing… but she didn't want this. She didn't want to just fall asleep and then wake up tomorrow morning knowing that she wouldn't see him for another five or six months. She had a plan set up. She was going to talk to him. She wanted to get to know him. They had all night, didn't they? And what had just happened? She was attacked. Did he save her? Of course he did. He had to of.

"Tell me your name," she said, quickly wrapping one arm over the top of his broad shoulders, just in case he tried to leave. "Say something… anything."

But almost as if he could sense her desperation, he remained silent. His hands moved to brush through her hair and caress her back. He wanted her to relax. He wanted her to just fall asleep. That wasn't part of her plan.

"Please… talk to me. You come here and you never say anything to me." And that voice. She wanted to hear it again. All she wanted was to hear it now. It had been divine. He had a low pitch, but not so low that it rumbled. It was a calming voice, with a gentle undertone that she felt could turn someone's flowing blood into ice if he wanted. It was… attractive. His voice was extremely attractive to her… "Just tell me your name. I've known you for five years and I don't even know your name. And I never asked, either. It's all I want to know. Just say it and I won't ask for anything else."

There was only a slight pause.

"Kaname."

And even though Yuki was thoroughly satisfied with both his voice and his answer, she realized that she'd just said she wouldn't ask him for anything else.

"Kaname…" She let the name roll off her tongue. It sounded good. And then she felt his grip around her tighten a bit and his face nuzzled into her hair with what sounded like a low purr. She reached up with one hand and ran her fingers through his shoulder-length, silky hair. "Kaname," she whispered again. It was just as she remembered. Everything about him was just as she imagined when he wasn't here with her. He was perfect in every way. Even his smell set her body on fire.

"You've no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that."

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Yuki jumped at the sound of her alarm and bolted upright.

Of course, he was gone.

She'd fallen asleep too quickly, like a baby, as usual. She'd been satisfied with herself in finally hearing him speak, and now she knew what to look forward to for the next time… But it was always such a long wait. She never knew how she was going to survive until their next meeting. She quickly scanned her calendar for the next day and frowned at what she saw. Her usual blue circle around the number of the day was right where it was supposed to be… But there were several more blue circles that she hadn't put there herself.

Did he plan on visiting her more often now? And why? She still didn't know exactly what had happened last night, too.

She flipped the months back to the current date and stared at the small square. Today was marked as well… He was coming tonight, too.

Yuki could barely contain her excitement. Two days in a row. This was unheard of. She always loathed the waits between their meetings, and the closest they'd ever been was at least a month. This was like a dream come true for her.

Kaname…

Was it his last name or his first name? Would he want to talk to her now that he'd finally spoke? She needed to ask him what happened last night. Maybe she could even turn the light on and see his face.

She was too awake for being up just before school. She jumped out of bed with enough enthusiasm to win a marathon and hurried downstairs for breakfast.

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"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Yuki paused on her way in after rushing home from the academy. Her father, as always, wanted a blow by blow story of how her day went, which she wasn't too excited for. She'd also tried to sneak her way past the kitchen, but that never worked anyway.

"Just my room. I got a lot of homework today."

"Well, you can do it later," he father said with a smile, "Come sit down and have a little dinner before you get to work. How was your day?"

"Good." There was no getting out of this one. Yuki sat down at the table and piled some food onto her plate before digging in. "Thanks for making dinner," she quickly added, realizing that she didn't have to make it for a change. She hadn't noticed much today, seeing as all she could think about was him… Kaname. She'd been saying his name over and over in her head all day, and even aloud when she was by herself. It sounded so beautiful and so… familiar. Like she'd known him since the day she was born, and as if they were two halves of a whole. It was strange, but at the same time, this was also the reason she trusted him so much. She wondered if he felt the same way. Maybe she'd even get to ask him tonight.

"What are you so smiley about this evening?"

"Huh?" Yuki fixed her face and gave her father a tight smile. "Just thinking about some stuff that happened at school today."

"Oh, really? What happened?"

Yuki took a mental pause to come up with a half-truth that wouldn't one day come back to bite her in the butt. She mixed a few stories, recent and old, and spun an easy lie that her father would forget by the next day.

"That's interesting," he said when she was finished, and then he went back to eating. Yuki finished her dinner in record time, said goodnight and rushed down the hall to her bedroom. "I'll be out late at the office again!" her father called. "Call the office number if you need me!"

"Okay!" she shouted back, and then closed the door. That was why her squirming last night hadn't called any attention to her—her father hadn't even been in the house. She was lucky Kaname had been there at just the right time.

Also, the thought that she was going to be alone in the house with him made butterflies erupt in her stomach. She got the feeling he was a respectable man, who wouldn't lay a hand on a woman, but at the same time that excited her. Everything about Kaname excited her, and she couldn't wait to see him for the umpteenth time. A tall, dark and handsome gentleman… She couldn't deny that a big part of her wouldn't mind spending a lot more time with him.

About an hour later, the sun was down and her father was gone. Yuki sat up on her bed, wanting to be able to stand when he arrived. It wasn't late, but maybe he would come early today. Maybe he wanted to talk. She was so excited.

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He was coming late tonight. Yuki sat up and yawned as she glanced over at her clock—it was one thirty in the morning. He was coming very late…

Another few minutes passed and she felt a breeze blow by her. She could smell his delicious scent in the wind and she knew he was there.

"Kaname," she breathed, closing her eyes and smiling. She heard footsteps and then the bed creaked beside her. She jumped when he rested his head on her shoulder. Even though he was always a gentleman, she'd never seen him be anything other than dominant in his personality. "Are… Are you okay?" she asked slowly, cautiously, but he was back to being silent again.

He breathed in, and Yuki shivered.

"You need to start being careful," he whispered, and he sounded very tired. "I know you don't understand, but…" he trailed off. "I'll take care of you. You don't have to be afraid… Yuki."

Her name on his lips did strange things to her. She was never too happy with her name, but he made it sound good to her. She didn't doubt that he could make anything sound good to her…

Without thinking, Yuki turned her head and placed her lips in his hair, kissing him lightly.

"You're too kind to me," he whispered. His voice was sad and very tired. She couldn't understand why he would be sad… This was supposed to be a happy time. She was always happy when he came to her. Wasn't he?

"Stay with me tonight?" she quickly asked.

"Of course."

"I love your voice…"

"…too kind…" he whispered. He was falling asleep.

Yuki leaned back to fall onto the bed and Kaname followed her movements, lying down beside her, his breathing evening out. This was a first—she was always the first one to fall asleep. That was how he was able to leave without her knowing. She almost felt like experimenting to see what she could do with this rare opportunity. She could sneak out, and see what he did when he woke up and she wasn't there. Or she could get a candle and see what his face looked like. She could even take a picture of him to keep with her when he wasn't there. Maybe she could make him breakfast and see if she could coerce him to stay through the morning.

But just hearing his breathing and feeling the rise and fall of his chest against her was enough to make her rethink all that. She just wanted to stay here with him. He had to have a reason for only coming in the dark, and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable or anything like that.

So, just as if it was a regular meeting, she wrapped one arm over the top of him, snuggled into his chest, and fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat, hopelessly wishing that he'd be there when she woke up.

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Yuki woke up on her own and glanced at the clock. It was late, but it was the weekend, otherwise her alarm would have woken her up much earlier. She looked around her room and sighed. Of course he wouldn't be here…

She rolled onto her back and let out a long exhale—and then jumped.

There was a man in her bed…

At first it didn't click and she was about to scream, but then she recognized the smell and the sound of his breathing… This was him. And she could see his face...

He was beautiful.

He was all dark—hair, eyelashes, clothes, expression, even as he slept. His skin was smooth and flawless—perfect in a Hollywood model kind of way—and his hair made him look like he belonged in a conditioner commercial on television. Even though his sleeping expression seemed peaceful, he still looked dark and mysterious, but at the same time very kind… and very sad—like his voice had been last night. He wore dark grey slacks and an open-collared dark blue shirt that revealed a sculpture-like collarbone.

"Kaname…" Yui breathed, not knowing how to react other than in awe. She reached out and gently brushed the side of his face with the back of her hand. He stirred and then jumped a little as he opened his eyes.

He squinted, as if the dim light from sunrise outside the window was too much for him, and he held up his hand to cast a faint shadow over his eyes. Then he glanced at Yuki and his eyes widened. Yuki frowned and looked down at herself.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "I can close the window if you wa—"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stayed this late."

He stood to leave, and Yuki clung onto a hope that he'd stay. "You're… beautiful," she said, and then wondered if that was an inappropriate thing to tell him. It was always difficult to tell with Kaname. On one hand, she felt like she could tell him anything and everything, and on the other hand… he was still a strange man that visited her at night… She never knew what was right and wrong when it came to him. "You don't have to leave."

At that, he paused, standing by the window, his back to her.

"Please stay," Yuki added desperately. "I have nowhere to go today. And my father won't be home for a while. He slept at the office last night so he'll probably just stay there until tonight anyway." She was rambling and she knew it. But she knew he wouldn't leave as long as she kept talking to him. "Will you look at me? I want to see your face again."

"Yuki…"

"And what happened last night…?"

"You were attacked."

She paused. Yes, she knew that much of it. "And you saved me."

"I'm sorry I didn't arrive in time."

"Thank you for keeping me safe."

"Always so kind…"

"Will you talk to me? I don't understand what happened exactly. Or why."

She heard him inhale slowly, as if mentally debating whether or not to stay. Why would he want to leave, anyway? Did he have somewhere to be? Maybe he was meeting with another girl. For all she knew, she wasn't the only person he paid midnight visits to. And since she'd never actually had a conversation with him, she knew next to nothing about him anyway.

"I come to you when you're…" he trailed off, and then started again. "There's a reason I only come here at certain times, and why it's possible to track those days." He paused again and Yuki tilted her head to the side.

"I don't understand."

"It's… difficult to explain. I don't want to scare you."

"You won't. I trust you."

She saw him nod slightly and then turn to face her. She immediately looked at his eyes—deep, dark pools, like looking into water right before dawn. They were just as stunning as the rest of him.

Kaname took a step forward and Yuki jumped when he got close. He frowned deeper and she watched his eyes take on that sad expression once again. She felt like she should apologize, but held her tongue. She shouldn't have jumped. He must have thought it was out of fear, but it was only from the closeness—it wasn't as if he wasn't attractive. She was always drawn to him, and now to see him… it was overwhelming. He was… she thought she might actually think of him in a romantic sense, and that's what made her jump.

"Sit with me." He motioned a hand back to the bed and Yuki immediately sat down. He slowly took a seat next to her and her breathing sped up. His face was right there… And he was moving closer to her.

"I'm so glad you're here," she stammered, looking for something to say. "And I can finally see what you look like. And you're voice is… well, it's a little intimidating, to be honest." She let out a nervous laugh. "But I still like it—"

"—Yuki."

She stopped talking when he cut her off. His face was too close to hers for conversation. What was he…?

"Yuki, it's all right. Don't be afraid."

And then his lips met hers, lightly. His arms wrapped gently around her waist and she took in a light gasp of air, her eyes wide open, staring at his face. She'd never been kissed before…

"You're cold," Kaname murmured against her mouth. "Are you all right?" His eyes were closed, and she was grateful he wasn't staring back at her, or she felt as if she would explode. She couldn't even respond to his question, much less his actions.

She feels him move his entire body to envelope her, pushing her down onto the bed and covering her with his tall frame. His body expelled heat like a radiator and before she knew it she felt like she was under a hot sun on summer afternoon. His heat was relaxing. She hadn't even realized that she had been cold until he pointed it out.

And then he really kissed her—still lightly, but she felt him move against her mouth, parting his lips and adding pressure on top of her. He held his own weight so he wouldn't squish her under him. His kiss was just as relaxing as his voice and his aura, and Yuki found herself being pulled into it. She wasn't sure how to respond, but she let her mouth do what felt natural. When she finally kissed him back, she felt Kaname breathe out slowly, into her, and then they exchanged breaths, and he inhaled her as well.

It was wet after a few minutes—she could feel his saliva on her lips and she could even taste him in her mouth for a few moments. He was exquisite and she didn't know how to ask for more. She gently added more pressure against his mouth, trying to drop him a hint that she was enjoying this more than she thought she should be. And then she realized that she was a rag doll—her arms were limp at her sides. She quickly brought them up and placed one around him, laying her hand to rest on his waist, and the other brushed up through his hair.

He let out a light grunt in reply and parted his lips further, his tongue quickly swiping across her bottom lip and then retreating back into his own mouth, as if only to tease her.

Yuki found herself with a moment of epiphany, and realized that this was Kaname. This was the man who had only been sleeping beside her on occasion for the past five years. He had been a stranger all this time, and yet her best friend, in a sense. He was her friend, her protector, her lover, even. And she had no idea why. She didn't know who he was or where he came from or why he came to her. All she knew was that she trusted him, and she probably loved him. And she didn't understand that, either.

"Kaname…" Yuki whispered against his lips, "Why is it like this?"

He responded by kissing her harder, forcing her lips apart with his tongue. He grabbed her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked it into her mouth. Yuki gasped at the sensation, and then froze at what she felt.

He bit her.

And he was swallowing a small mouthful of her blood.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. His eyes were open as well, but now they were a bright, glowing red, as if there were lights behind the sockets. And then he hissed, and it made shivers run up and down her spine. His upper lip curled back and she saw two, large fangs protruding from his gums, lightly stained with her blood.

Surprisingly, her first reaction was acceptance, but when she thought about how crazy it was, she developed a little fear and placed her hands against his chest, pushing him away. He obliged and sat up, at the edge of her bed, staring at the floor.

"What…" she couldn't find her voice.

"Vampire," he said, as if it was just word that people threw around.

"That's…"

"Impossible? No." He paused. "Do you believe me?"

"I don't think you would lie," Yuki replied slowly, and it was the truth. After all, glowing eyes and fangs weren't anything she'd ever see before. And he had no reason to lie to her. Plus, she was still in a daze from that kiss…

"You're my mate," he said simply, as if it was something that she would accept right away. On the contrary, she didn't even register what he was saying at first. It just went straight over her head.

"What did you just say?"

"You belong to me, Yuki," he said softly, and then turned and looked at her with those glowing red eyes. They were mesmerizing. "You're mine."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

It was midday on the following Monday, and the sun was high in the sky. Although, the weather was the last thing on Yuki's mind. Kaname told her to go about her days as usual, and to forget the marks on the calendar, and that he would be there tonight to try and explain things to her. The weekend alone with no answers had been killing her. And actually, she had been the one who asked, and he had reluctantly agreed. He seemed like the type of person who didn't like to reveal too much about himself… or anything else, for that matter. Apart from the fact that he wasn't human…

But she trusted him. As stupid as that made her feel, she believed him when he said he meant her no harm. She believed that he was a vampire and that she actually meant something to someone like him. It was exhilarating to think that he treated her like she was special… like she was important to him. It just seemed so unreal. He was just so… godlike. Her mind had a hard time wrapping itself around that fact when he said that she was his.

It wasn't like she minded. She was his the first night he came to her. She had no complaints or concerns about it, either. Belonging to him didn't seem like a bad thing to her.

But a vampire… She'd seen the teeth and the glowing, blood-red eyes. She believed him, for sure. But his explanation couldn't come fast enough. She trusted him, but that didn't mean she wasn't confused. She wanted answers.

She knew that planning things out before they happened wasn't going to work. Every time he was around her, nothing went as she planned. She could come up with a speech and memorize it all day long, but when he came and held her tonight, her mind would turn to jelly and she would be completely, utterly his. Nothing in her power could stop that.

Kaname.

His name still echoed in her head, and she couldn't stop it. Her whole world was about him. It always had been, and now, even more so. She knew his name. She'd seen his face. God… She'd had the most amazing kiss… She knew the taste of him. She knew what his lips felt like on hers… She'd be damned if she could never think straight again. And that's only what he did to her when he wasn't there. She wanted so much more from him, but she didn't know what she was craving. It felt like everything. All of him. And the funny thing was, she had the feeling he'd give himself to her if only she asked. At the same time that he put a claim on her… He was hers, too. And she knew it.

And by the end of the school day, she'd gone over just a few things about him in her head. She was onto his hair as she sat on the bus, just a few minutes away from her home. His hair was dark and silky and fell over his face. When she thought about it, his hair actually made him seem sadder than usual. Maybe it was just how he liked to be seen… But who wanted to be a sad person? Maybe it just highlighted what was already there… She hated it when he sounded sad. She wanted to fight anything that made him sad until it left him alone. She truly did love him…

"...not even listening..."

Yuki turned her head when she thought she heard her name in a conversation behind her.

"Yea, she always was in some kind of a daydream, wasn't she?"

"Hey, Yuki!" a voice called, and Yuki twisted around to look in the seat behind her. A small girl with red-orange hair smiled and waved at her. It was Sayori Wakaba, an old friend from freshman and sophomore year. God, she hadn't spoken with the girl in ages…

"Hi, Sayori..." Yuki said softly, not sure yet if they had been making fun of her or not. And when she thought about it, they had been quite good friends. And now… Yuki really didn't talk to anyone anymore…

"We were just talking about that one party we went to sophomore year when the teachers were supervising and there was the stupid 6-inch rule on the dance floor. You remember that? And Fuka and Kasumi went onto the floor and danced chest-to-chest right in front of Ms. Oyatusuki. That was the funniest thing I'd seen all year. It was priceless."

Yuki cracked a smirk at the memory, trying hard to fight the awkwardness of talking to her friend from two years ago. Fuka, Kasumi and even shy Nadeshiko were all in the seat behind her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she'd known that they were all on the same bus as her, but… She'd stopped talking to them after one summer of no communication, and after that, it just felt awkward to put herself in their group again. She always felt like an outsider anyway… like there was something different about her...

"Don't remind me," Kasumi said with a laugh. "That was the one and only time I'll ever dance with a girl other than my one true love."

"I swear, you're going to come out one of these days," Fuka snickered.

"Hey, Yuki, when was the last time we hung out, anyway?" Sayori asked, a bright smile of her pretty face. "We should bring the old gang back together for a night out."

"Not the whole gang," Fuka added with a sly smirk, pointing her thumb over to Nadeshiko, who jumped and shuffled in her seat. "If we bring Zero back, this little one is going to have a heart attack." Nadeshiko jumped again as a blush crept up to her face. "Yuki, you still talk to him? I haven't heard a word about him since things got awkward between those two and he said he didn't want to be around us anymore."

"I'm sorry..." Nadeshiko said shyly, looking down at her hands. From what Yuki remembered, Zero left the group even before she did, and it had been after Fuka, Sayori and her had encouraged their shy friend to tell Zero how she felt about him. Since then, the two haven't spoken, and Yuki secretly blamed herself. It was probably part of the reason she left the group, too… But Zero never came back, either? That was news to her, and it actually made her a little sad inside.

Sayori wrapped an arm around Nadeshiko's shoulders and smiled at her. "Hey, cheer up. Look, we're going to hang out with Yuki again, right?" Yuki held her breath when all their eyes refocused on her. She just gulped and nodded. How could she say no? Besides, she knew these people. She had a lot of great memories with her old friends. These weren't people that she feared interacting with. Not at all. But if they wanted to go out at night… There was no way she could say no to one of Kaname's visits. But at the same time, the idea of rekindling her old friendships suddenly sparked her interest. It would be great to have people to talk to and hang out with. It would make her father happy, too…

"How about—"

"I'm free tomorrow night," Yuki cut in, afraid that someone would ask to get together tonight. "We should all go out for dinner or something."

"I'm kinda short on money right now, guys..." Kasumi mumbled, and Fuka punched him in the shoulder.

"I got you, gay boy."

"I'm not gay..."

"Yea, he likes Ruka from the night class," Sayori muttered, and the short boy yelped and jumped, shaking his head so hard his glasses almost fell right off. "Everybody knows it, dude… Well, everyone but her, probably. She's kinda… out of your league, though, don't you think?"

"Oh, don't say that..." Nadeshiko piped in, playing with her fingers in her lap.

"Yea, you never know who's going to end up with who. For all we know, Ruka will totally fall in love with a guy that comes up to her boobs, and Zero will finally realize that he's just a dick and Nadeshiko is perfect for him." Fuka laughed and pointed at Yuki next. "What about you? Did you leave us for a guy or what?"

Yuki froze, and then realized that her stop was coming up. She just shook her head at Fuka and grabbed her bags before standing.

"Don't forget, Yuki!" Sayori called. "You're coming to my house after school tomorrow and we're going out!"

"I won't forget!" Yuki called back, running off the bus.

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It was time. She expected him to be late, and it was nearing close to one inf the morning. Her window had been open since eight-thirty, letting in a chilly nighttime breeze. Thankfully, her father was at the office yet again, swamped with paperwork and whatever else he had to do to run an entire school. And that gave her plenty of time to talk to Kaname about… well, about everything she could think of. She had so many questions. She just hoped she would remember them once he got near her.

As if on cue, his scent hit her like a soft pillow, gently, but with some force, and at the same time, soothing. Her eyelids immediately got heavy and she slouched where she sat on the edge of her bed.

"Yuki..." His delicious voice hit her harder than his scent, the long U he used to pronounce her name doing strange things to her. She could barely keep herself upright, and she wanted so badly to just lay down and have him lay next to her.

But just as her body went to position itself for sleep, she remembered that she had to hear him. Even if not for the explanations, just for the sake of hearing that voice… She had to stay awake.

"How was your day?" he asked, and she felt the bed tilt to her left as he sat down. It was dark, as usual, so she couldn't see his face, but she let her head fall to him, resting against the side of his arm. He was so strong, and so cold. And his question seemed so far away. It was so trivial, now that he was here with her. What did it matter, what else happened in the world? As long as he stayed here with her… forever…

"Yuki..." He moved his body, trying to cradle her as she slowly went limp, eager to feel him next to her as she slept. "Have you not been getting enough sleep? You shouldn't keep yourself awake for me. I can wake you when I arrive from now on… if that's what you want." She listened to him breathe slowly, picturing his mouth, and then picturing him kissing her again, and what it would feel like to have him hold her close, breathe into her… bite her again.

And that thought gave her a little boost. She forced herself up so she wouldn't be leaning on him anymore, and felt around in the dark for him. Her hands traveled up his arm to his collarbone and the base of his throat—she felt him swallow gently—to under and over his chin, until she met his lower lip with her fingertips. She couldn't stop herself from inhaling quickly.

As if he knew what she wanted, he parted his lips and exhaled gently. His breath was cool and damp, leaving a musk on her fingers as she met his top row of teeth. Slowly, but eagerly, she found one sharp incisor. It was small—smaller than it had been the other night, but it felt just as sharp as it had on her lip.

Without word or warning, his tongue came up and gently rolled across her finger in his mouth. And without thinking, Yuki responded by pressing down on it. She heard him make a sudden noise as she moved her finger around the backside of his teeth, trying to encourage him to close his lips with her still inside.

But he didn't move. He never moved. She realized it had always been like this. Every time she did something—touched his shoulders, held him tighter than normal, brushed her hands through his hair—he would remain as still as a corpse, allowing her to do what she wanted without a response. She immediately pulled her hand back and frowned.

"I'm sorry..."

"For what?" he asked.

"I… I can never tell if you… If the things I do bother you… And I'm sorry if I… If I go too far...like that."

"There's nothing you could do to me that I would recoil from. Even if you hurt me, it's nothing less than what I deserve." And then, as if he regretted saying that, he immediately moved to lie down, and gently brought Yuki down with him. "I was enjoying that," he added. "You can do whatever you want to me, Yuki. I never come here because I have to."

His words suddenly allowed her to remember one of her questions, and she mentally patted herself on the back.

"Why do you come here?"

"To see you."

"No, I mean..." she trailed off as he sent a warm breath down the side of her neck. She suddenly wanted so badly for him to kiss her, but she tried hard to focus. "You said that there was a reason you came on specific days of the year. Why is that?"

His lips suddenly met with her skin, and he ran them down her cheek and near the tip of her chin, trying to draw her deeper into the pool. The sad part was that it was working.

"Please..." Yuki held back a moan, afraid of what that might start. "Talk to me."

"What would you like to talk about?" He sucked gently at the skin on the side of her neck, and then she really did moan, catching it as it left her mouth.

"Kaname… please…" With whatever willpower she didn't know she had left, she put both her palms on his chest and gave him a weak shove. She was surprised he even noticed it, but when he did, he backed off in the dark, moving away and exposing Yuki to a cold breeze from the open window. "W...Why… why don't you want to tell me what's going on?"

"I'm keeping you safe," he replied quietly. "So that you don't have to worry about anything. So, please, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I can't help but be worried about it when you won't tell me." Yuki frowned. "You keep saying that, too. That nothing is going to happen to me. And I don't think I'd ever disagree with you but… I was attacked in my own bedroom and I need to know why..."

There was a long period of silence and Yuki felt a stab of sadness hit her chest. He wasn't going to answer her, was he? And that's what hurt the most. The fact that he meant so much to her, and came to her for the past five years just to hold her close at night and brush his fingers through her hair and he wasn't even going to answer her…

"I thought I meant more to you than that..." she whispered, a big part of her wishing he wouldn't hear her say it. But she heard him exhale and she knew it had been just loud enough for his ears.

She jumped as he turned on the light from the small lamp on her bedside table and sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of her bed and facing away from her. She squinted until her eyes adjusted to the light, and then they went wide at what she saw.

There were marks all along his blue dress-shirt. They were stains, and they were splattered. She reached her hand up to his back and immediately recoiled. The stripes were hard—crusty—and they were dark red.

"Is that… blood?" she whispered. "W… Why?"

"There are… creatures..." There was clearly more to say, but he trailed off. Yuki's mind was racing, all thoughts of sleep long gone.

"Please just tell me what's going on!" she shouted, mad at herself for recoiling from him, and upset that he wasn't being clear with her.

"Yuki… calm down. It's all right."

"I know it's all right! But you're not telling me anything! You're scaring me!"

He turned his head to look at her, and his eyes were sad again. "Please don't be scared of me..."

On one hand, she wanted to comfort him. But on the other, she was getting his pattern down. He was always trying to change the subject. He had to know by now that she wasn't afraid of him. They both knew that…

"What creatures?" she asked him, locking their eyes and holding his dark gaze. And it took a minute, but he finally exhaled again.

"Level E… That's what they're called."

"Was that what attacked me?"

He nodded and then turned his head forward, away from her again.

"I want to know..." She breathed slowly.

"I know."

"Why do you sound so sad?"

"I wanted you to be happy for as long as you could. I just… wanted to hold you for a few more years."

Yuki's heart lurched and she felt tears sting the back of her eyes. "Exactly what am I to you?"

"You are… everything."

A tear spilled over and ran down the side of her face. She quickly wiped it away.

"You're everything to me, too… But I don't understand why. I don't know you. I've never talked to you before this past week. You told me you're a vampire and I just believe you. My body tells me that you're a piece of me. My mind tells me that I can't live without you. And I don't know what to make of any of it. And you're the only one who can tell me what's right and what's wrong, otherwise I just mush them all together in my head and I'm so confused. I just want to know what this is—you coming here all these years."

"I bonded to you, Yuki. You're my mate for life."

"You said that before." She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"We… My kind bond as soon as their mates are born. I felt you when you took your first breath. I've been watching over you ever since."

"But you only came to me when I was thirteen."

"I didn't want to intrude on your life until it was necessary."

"What?" She wanted to ask him "why not," but she wondered if he still might be trying to change the subject. "What made it necessary?"

"At thirteen, you started…" He trailed off, uncomfortable all of a sudden. "You do remember what happened to you that day, don't you?

"I..." Yuki didn't know if her face had gone bright red or pale. She actually remembered her thirteenth birthday vividly, especially because it was the first time she bled… And she'd embarrassed herself in front of her father and her middle school friends. "You mean…?"

"You became old enough to conceive a child."

But the days when she got her period were much different than the days he showed up at her house, and far and few between for that matter… He responded as if he'd read her mind.

"The days in which you can conceive with a vampire are different, even though you're a human. I can sense them clearly because I've been bonded to you. Others of my kind may be able to tell, as well. It would mean nothing to humans."

"But… if that's the reason you came when you did… I mean… We never… I never..."

"I came to protect you, Yuki, not to mate with you. If another of my kind was close by and sensed that you were a bonded human, they may have sought you out. But my scent would have been enough to keep them away during those times."

"But not the… Level E?"

"They're not… They're fallen vampires. Level E's are the ones who couldn't survive a transition and weren't born into it. They become something else. Not human, not vampire."

"Why did it attack me?"

"Instinct, probably. You were in one of your cycles, which is how it could have found you to begin with. In that case, it was just drawn to your scent."

"Do… humans get hurt a lot because of this kind of thing?"

"No. A human's body would never rut for a vampire unless one was bonded to it."

Rut… The word sounded weird to her, like it was something only ascribing to animals.

"I always felt like I'd known you since the day I was born… Even when you first showed up here. I knew from the start that you weren't going to hurt me. And I trusted you just because… just… because it was you, I guess." She paused and it was silent for a while. "Tell me more?" she whispered, reaching for the switch on the lamp. She flicked it off and reached for him, grabbing a handful of his shirt. She felt the dried blood, but didn't flinch back from it. "Could you…? I don't want it in my bed..."

A few seconds passed, and a swarm of bad thoughts plagued her in that short time. What if he left now and never came back? What if he didn't want to talk to her anymore? What if his next words were about another girl? What if he said he couldn't stay with her anymore? No more nighttime visits. No more holding her in the dark. No more relaxing scent. No more beautiful voice…

He shrugged out of his shirt and laid down next to her. She put her hands up in the dark to run her fingers along his bare chest. Then she slid them around his frame and held herself to him, trying to get closer than physically possible.

"That was a Level E's blood?" she whispered, and she felt him nod. "Why did you fight it?"

"It was coming for you."

Yuki gulped and pulled herself closer to him.

"I'm sorry..."

"For what?" He sounded baffled.

"I don't want you to have to fight because of me. I don't want you to get hurt, and I don't want you to have to do things you don't want to do."

"Please don't worry so much about me…"

"But you're everything to me, too, Kaname. The last thing I want to do is burden you."

He wrapped both his strong arms around her and dragged her even more into him, so hard that she could feel his heartbeat, and so soft that it still wasn't close enough. Yuki didn't even care that he was half-naked in her bed, under the covers with her in the dead of night. This was Kaname. This was the man that was her friend, brother and lover, with each of his walls carefully dropped, exposing himself to her like he'd never done before. And all she wanted was to be strong so that she could protect him just as much as he protected her.

And as she gently held him in her arms, somehow she knew that this was enough.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

"Kaname?"

"Yes?"

"Where do you live?"

Yuki laid on her bed, flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes danced circles around the thick white paint above her. Kaname had stayed the night, and usually that meant she would have gotten a wonderful night's rest. But instead, she barely slept. Everything he'd told her kept her awake and thinking. There was so much to process.

"I live in the northern part of the city," he replied, leaning down to the floor by her dresser to pick up his shirt. Yuki frowned.

"I'm sure I can find you something else to wear. That's covered in…" Blood. It was covered in another's blood. A Level E… a creature that had come for her in the middle of the night. She was also a little upset that she wouldn't be able to stare at his bare chest anymore if he put it back on.

The only light came in through the window, and the dimness of the early morning sun was just enough to see the outline of his perfect frame. She could see shadows swirl around him as he moved. She loved watching him move. Everything he did was so fluent.

"Wait… did you say the city? _That_ city?" She pointed out the window, as if the nearest urban area was just outside. And the north side… was the closest to the Academy. "But…That's only a few miles from here…"

"I moved there recently. I wanted to be closer to you as you got older."

She couldn't believe it… For some reason, she'd been picturing him in a huge, dark castle on the other side of the world. At least, that would have explained the long time between visits…

"You were right there this whole time… That's like… a fifteen-minute drive."

"I told you. I didn't want to intrude on your life. You're human. It's better for you to live as one, even now. I don't want my existence to stain yours."

"But you're in my life. And I love that you're here."

"If it was always like this, I would have come to you every day. But… it's complicated."

She was about to ask how, but she took another look at his shirt covered in blood and decided not to ask. She would ask eventually, but now wasn't the right time.

"So… are you going to be spending more time with me now?" she asked hopefully, unable to hide the smile on her face. Or the blush. She watched him as he looked at her and a small smile reached his eyes. He looked so kind, yet so sad. And he never answered her question.

"There are a few things I need to do today, and I'm not sure if I can make it tonight," he said, after a long pause. Yuki tried not to frown, but it happened anyway. "But you won't be in danger. I'll make sure of that, so don't worry."

"How will you make sure?"

"I'll have someone watch your house when I'm gone. Now that you're giving off that scent pretty much all the time, I'll be having someone watch you during the day, as well."

"What do you mean? Who's going to be watching me? That's… I don't want someone watching me."

"It's for your protection, Yuki. If I'm not here and there's no one keeping an eye on you, there's nothing I could do if you were attacked again."

"You could always stay with me," Yuki mumbled, but instantly regretted her words. Kaname pursed his lips and she looked away from him in embarrassment. He walked over to her and placed his hands on either side of her, creaking the bed as he leaned closer. She felt herself get hot and refused to meet his eyes.

"You don't know what I'd give to be able to stay here with you for eternity," he whispered, and she couldn't help but sharply inhale. "But there are many things going on right now that I need to take care of, or the consequences will be catastrophic. Please do not mistake my duties for not wanting to be with you. I want to protect you with my own hands. It kills me that I must ask someone else to watch you while I take care of my responsibilities."

"W… What do you have to do?" Yuki stammered, still affected by his closeness. He had to know the effect he had on her. Was he doing it on purpose now?

"You need to worry about yourself. I won't trouble you with my burdens."

"But I want to know what you're doing… Where you'll be… How long will it take for you to come back?"

"Yuki…"

She froze as he got closer, his lips moving nearer to hers. She finally faced front and looked him in the eyes—those beautiful, dark eyes—with her own wide open. And he kissed her. Only for a moment, but it lingered and he quickly backed up, standing and fixing his bloodied shirt. He didn't smile before disappearing, leaving Yuki tired, breathless and with so many unanswered questions.

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She didn't know why she felt a little angry and betrayed. It wasn't like she had a right to know about his personal life. She wasn't even sure what their true relationship was, or what it meant for them. It clearly didn't mean that he felt it was okay to talk to her about certain things. But she would tell him anything and everything. All he had to do was ask and she knew she would never lie to him. She would never conceal anything from him. And when she remembered about her date with her old friends, she felt even worse for not mentioning it to him. She'd forgotten all about it. Of course, she would have told him if she'd remembered, but it was hard to think about much when he was with her. He had this aura where she couldn't think straight, and all she could think about was him. He was so… mesmerizing.

But now she was getting a little defiant. He was having people watch her? She hadn't seen anyone, but assuming his friends were also vampires, she figured she'd never see anyone unless they wanted her to see them. She wondered what other vampires were even like… Were they all like Kaname? So stunningly beautiful and attracting… But how would they know where she was once she started hanging out with her friends after school? Would they tell Kaname that she was missing? Would he come look for her? It was probably a bad idea to even mention him to her old friends, much less introduce them in person, so she hoped he would just understand that she was living her life. No one was going to come after her in school, anyway.

"Are you ready?" Sayori asked, and Yuki nearly jumped, closing her locker and swinging her bag over her shoulder. "We're just going to go back to my place first to get ready and then we'll figure out where we want to go. Sound good?"

Yuki smiled and nodded as the others started to gather in the hallway. It was a good thing they were all on the same bus. She would even pass her house on the ride to Sayori's. They only lived about ten minutes apart. It was so strange how they'd fallen out of touch so easily when they lived so close to each other all their lives.

"Did we decide what we're doing for dinner yet?" Fuka asked, walking up to them with a bit of a swagger. She planted one foot out and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Bad day?" Sayori asked softly.

"It's whatever. My homeroom teacher said I'm going to get written up if I skip another class, but I think she's bluffing. She said that like a month ago and didn't do anything about it. It's not like I'm failing or anything. I just lose track of time on some days."

"It's because you're so unorganized," Kasumi butted in, and Yuki turned as he came up behind her and rested an elbow on her shoulder. Fuka blatantly ignored him and turned back to Sayori.

"So, what were we doing about dinner?"

"We could just go buy some microwave stuff and bring it to my house if you want."

"Oh, but I wanted to go out tonight. We always chill at your place and we're supposed to be having some kind of reunion party with Yuki, right? I got all excited about going out. I haven't worn nice clothes in like a week and half." She paused. "Did anyone see Nadeshiko yet today?"

"She was in gym," Kasumi said, fixing his backpack on his shoulders. "I'm sure we could just meet her outside by the buses."

"Yea. We should head out." Sayori nodded and lead the way. Yuki followed behind the other two. She wondered what was stopping her from acting like herself. She knew she could talk to these people, and she wasn't uncomfortable or anything. She knew it was just that she had a lot on her mind, with Kaname and the way he was acting with her. He always distracted her when she wanted to get serious about something. And he could do it so easily. He'd kissed her and she completely forgot that she had questions for him… He had to know what he was doing. He just had to. There was no way he just did those kinds of things by accident at just the right times. The next time she saw him, she was going to make sure she was mentally prepared to deal with his various forms of persuasion. She wouldn't fall for another kiss. She wouldn't let him affect her the way he did when he leaned in or got too close… or pinned her down, climbing on the bed beside her…

"Are you feeling okay?" Sayori asked, and Yuki snapped to attention. "Your face is all red. Are you getting sick?"

"No, I'm fine!" she blurted out, and then quickly looked at the ground. How was she supposed to focus when he was with her when she couldn't even pay attention when she pictured him in her head. It was going to be harder than she thought.

"Maybe it's a boy," Fuka smirked. "Is it a boy?" Yuki froze, wondering how to get out of this topic smoothly. She didn't want to tell anyone about Kaname… but then again, she didn't have to tell them who he was, but maybe they could give her some kind of advice for her problem.

"Actually…"

"—Hey, look! There's Nadeshiko!"

Yuki lowered her head, and thankfully no one seemed to notice. Maybe now wasn't the best time to talk about boys anyway. After all, she'd barely said a word to her friends this whole time anyway. It was probably better off talking about something else, instead of her self-centered "romance," if she could even call it that. It was more like a bond, but she didn't know any other way to describe what went on between her and Kaname.

They got on the bus and talked casually about school and classes once Nadeshiko caught up, and more sociable conversation topics than weird romance stories about men sneaking into girl's rooms in the middle of the night. It almost felt like Yuki had her friends back. And it felt great. She hadn't been this happy in a long time.

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"So, where are we going?" Fuka pressed, once everyone had dropped their things off in Sayori's living room and got a quick drink and a snack.

"We could head over to the pizzeria. Or there's this diner down the street from the school that I haven't tried, but I heard it was really good. My one friend in my second period class said the prices were amazing and the food was in huge portions."

"Yea, I know who you're talking about. It's Mikasu, that girl with the black hair, right? Don't trust her when she talks about restaurants. She always brings bread crusts and a ginger ale for lunch, and talks about her mom's amazing meatloaf. That girl has no business talking about good food. And if she said that diner was good, I'm never going in there."

"Okay, chill," Kasumi glared, "Then we just won't go to the diner. Jeez."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had a huge crush on Mikasu. I think I'm going to have to tell Ruka that you're going to break her heart."

"Oh, shut up."

"Okay, you two," Sayori said, rolling her eyes. "Let's bring it down a notch."

"How about we don't go straight for the dinner part. Can't we go shopping?"

"Oh, no!" Kasumi shouted, holding up his hands. "I'm not going shopping with you again. I'm not getting dragged around to every boutique and dingy thrift store so you can try on a thousand dresses and not buy a single one."

"I'll have you know that the last time we went shopping together, I bought two dresses, my leather boots and a cute crop top. So, it's not like I didn't accomplish anything."

"Still, I'm not waiting outside dressing rooms for hours at a time and then carrying all your bags."

"Well, what else are you good for?" Fuka teased, sneering.

"Okay, we can go shopping, but then no dressing rooms," Sayori said.

"No clothes!"

"Fine, Kasumi. No clothes."

"What else do you expect me to do if we're going shopping?" Fuka frowned. "The only places around here are either boutiques or the local grocery store. And you said we're eating out so we don't need anything from there."

Yuki had a thought, and spoke up without thinking. "We could always go into the city!" There was a pause and then all eyes were on her. Her thoughts moved quickly from Kaname to what she was going to say next. "I mean… there are things we could do, and it's not that far of a drive, either."

"Like what?"

"Well, there's the museum, and there are all different kinds of stores. Sure, there's the clothes, but even if we're not trying anything on, they have jewelry stores and health food stores, electronics… anything and everything, right?"

"That's true…" Fuka smirked. "And if we're just walking around a few blocks or something, then we can split up. Me and Nadeshiko can go look for clothes and Kasumi can be part of some other pair. Then everyone's happy. Then we can meet back up for food when we're finished."

"It's probably better if we don't split up," Sayori said. "Fuka, you can literally go look for clothes whenever you want. Just give it a break for one day. And besides, what kind of reunion involves splitting into pairs?"

"I think they have an art show tonight," Nadeshiko said softly.

"Really? Why don't we go to that, then?"

Yuki nodded. They were going to go to the city… Maybe she could try and find him. Maybe she could figure out where he lived… She felt like a bit of a stalker, but compared to what _he'd_ been doing these past five years, being a little creepy on her own was like nothing. And it was harmless. She knew she'd never find him. It was a small city, as far as cities went, but all he'd told her was that he lived on the northside. There were way too many apartments and houses to check them all. Maybe she was just futilely hoping she'd see him walking on the street somewhere.

"Alright, let me grab a few things and we'll head out."

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It was nearly sundown by the time Fuka had finished putting on her makeup and clothes. She always looked good, but even Yuki thought that she overdid it with the time.

"You look like a hooker," Kasumi sad flatly. Fuka whirled on him in her 3-inch heels.

"I'm sure you would know, considering a shorty like you would have to pay someone to sleep with you."

"Okay, guys," Sayori grumbled, "Can we just give it a rest? Please? For one night?"

"He started it," Fuka huffed, crossing her arms and continuing to strut down the sidewalk. "And where are we even going? We parked like ten blocks away and my feet already hurt. We need to find a place to sit down."

"I thought you said there was a diner down here," Kasumi barked. "That's why we've been walking this whole time!"

"Uhh, no. I said there's probably some place to eat if we keep walking," she hissed. "Don't try and blame me because you're lost."

"Maybe we should turn around," Nadeshiko said softly, and Yuki nodded. The streets were emptying and she knew that this wasn't the best place for her to be right now. She didn't even know what a Level E looked like. She'd only heard its screeching voice for a moment, and felt it's cold hands on her face… Did they just look like regular humans? Kaname looked like a human, after all. Was it possible that the people walking in the distance were dangerous? Yuki froze for a moment.

"What's that up there?" Fuka asked, pointing down another block.

"I'm not walking another hundred blocks because you think you know where we are," Kasumi growled, and then squinted his eyes. "Oh, I see. A bunch of lights. It's a club, right? That was probably your plan all along, what with the way you dressed."

"Excuse me? I've never even been here before. Like hell I planned anything!"

"Guys…" Sayori sighed. "Come on, cut it out already."

"It's not like you wouldn't fit right in! Dressed like a skank!"

"You know what! You think I'd fit right in? Fine! At least I'll find a place I can sit down, now that you're finished getting us all lost!" And she stormed off, down the other street, strutting her way towards the flashy lights.

"Fuka, come on!" Sayori shouted after her. "We're not lost! We can just turn around, we parked on this same street!" Her friend wasn't listening. "Fuka! Come back!" She started to chase after her, and Nadeshiko and Kasumi followed. Yuki took a fleeting glance behind her and chased after them.

"I don't think she's going to get very far," Nadeshiko said, once they all paused to walk again and catch their breath. She pointed ahead, where Fuka was already at the door, talking to a strange man. "Don't these places require you to show ID or something like that?"

"I guess not," Kasumi mumbled angrily, watching as Fuka flashed a dazzling smile and the ma let her through the door. Sayori was right behind her and followed. "What the hell," Kasumi groaned, heading for the door.

"It's ten for boys," the strange man said.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"We're with him," Nadeshiko said quickly, grabbing Yuki's arm. "That means he can get in for free, right? Because he has us?"

The man just nodded and opened the door. Kasumi walked through and quickly turned as the two girls followed him. "Damn, Nadeshiko. What the hell was that? You know about these places?"

"No," she stammered, "I just… read about it in a book once. I thought those were the rules…"

Yuki heard her two friends exchange a few more words, but she was too busy looking around in shock. She'd never been in a club before… Hell, she'd never been to a party with more than ten people before, and those were usually just her friends and family. But this place… Bright lights and booming music littered the air around her, disorienting a few of her senses. There was steam up near the ceiling, rising above a crowd of dancers. She watched a few of them as girls grinded against men and everyone was either looking at the floor or the ceiling.

"So, what else?" Kasumi asked, snapping Yuki out of her daze.

"Just… don't drink anything. But I guess we can have some fun. Maybe there's food… That's probably where Fuka went, anyway."

"Yea, well… I'm gonna go find her. You stay with Yuki and wait for Sayori to come back." And then he was off, pushing through the crowd of people to get to the back of the room, looking for food.

"I think he acts that way because he secretly likes her," Nadeshiko said quickly, and Yuki looked down at her usually shy old friend. But it did make sense, how he kept criticizing her for wearing revealing clothes. He could have been a bit nicer about it, though.

Yuki gasped as someone hit her shoulder and she nearly spun out. A man caught her and laughed. "Hey, girlie! Sorry about that!" he shouted, lifting a red cup to her face and shoving it between her lips. Yuki gasped, but wasn't even upright yet. The drink cascaded into her mouth and she swallowed a huge gulp of it. "There you go!" the man laughed, setting her upright and giving her a thumbs-up. "Loosen up!" he shouted, dancing his way into the crowd, grabbing a girl's butt on his way in.

Yuki coughed and breathed in hard, doing her best to no double over and force herself to throw up. But it just tasted like beer, so she groaned in frustration and turned… but Nadeshiko was gone. She thought she saw Fuka's hair off in the distance, so she started pushing her way through the throng of people. Then she lost it again and paused, trying to look over the crowd, but she was too short. Her eyes darted around and she felt her balance slipping.

"Oh, no," she whispered to herself. The drink… She blinked fast to try and clear her head, but things were getting blurry. Where were her friends? She needed to find them, and fast.

"Whoa, you okay?" a voice behind her said, but she held out her hand and pushed off of people, trying to get out of the crowd. She stumbled forward a few more paces before she froze. She looked up to familiar dark eyes, dark hair, dark aura…

"Kaname…" she whispered, but he didn't look very pleased. "I'm sorry… I didn't want to come here… My friends…"

"Shh…" he said, placing a long finger over her lips. He took a quick step forward and she was instantly frozen in place. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down until his lips met hers and she breathed him in, parting her lips. "Atta girl," he said, and Yuki opened her eyes.

"What…?" she asked. That didn't sound like anything he would ever say. But he met their lips again and moved his tongue into her mouth. She kissed him back with equal force. God, how she missed this. It had only been a day, and she felt like she hadn't seen him in months.

She felt him push his hips forward and something hot and stiff met her stomach. She frowned and pushed herself away, narrowing her eyes. Everything was still so blurry. He seemed more persistent than usual. He always let her take the lead, but here… he was insistent and it scared her.

"Kaname…?" she whispered.

"Baby, I'm whoever you want me to be," a voice said in reply, and Yuki suddenly screamed, backing up into someone else and jumping again. She turned and met a gorgeous blonde staring down at her. She froze again and just stared at the man, blinking.

"Who…"

"You're Yuki?" the man asked slowly.

"Yuki!" Nadeshiko shouted, pushing through the crowd to get to her. "Yuki, over here!" She waved her arms in the air and Yuki waved back, quickly putting her arm down before she felt over. She staggered a bit to the left and the gorgeous man caught her.

"Easy…" he warned, holding her, and she knew that this man wasn't a danger to her. He felt almost exactly like Kaname, so he was vampire…?

"Yuki!" Fuka shouted, right behind Nadeshiko. She stumbled and caught herself, looking right up at the blonde. She froze and Yuki could've swore she was about to drool at the site of this man. "Whoa…" she mumbled, standing upright. "Y… Yuki, who's this?"

"Idou," the man said with a smile, and he seemed friendly… So not all vampires were sad and mysterious and dodgy. That was good to know. "Sorry… I just noticed that your friend here might have had something a little too strong to drink. It's probably a good idea that you ladies get her home now."

"Oh, y-yea." Fuka grabbed Yuki's arm and nodded. "Absolutely… It's really nice to know that there's a decent guy in a place like this. Yuki… is really lucky you found her." She pulled Yuki away from the man, who watched her slowly. And before she knew it, the room started spinning and she was surrounded by the dark.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

Yuki blinked open her eyes to the sound of laughter. Everything was still blurry, but she raised her arm to wipe the sand and goo from the corners of her eyes. Her body was hot, but she didn't feel nauseous or drunk or anything like that. She wondered what was in that drink she was slipped before.

"Yuki, you're awake," Nadeshiko said happily, clapping her hands together and bobbing up and down on a bench beside her. Yuki sat up to find that she'd been leaning on Fuka, who was turned away from her. She noticed a red cup in each of her friends' hands and sighed again.

"Easy now," she heard a familiar male voice say, and she looked around Fuka to find… the other vampire. Idou, he'd called himself. And vampire or not, Fuka was all over him. He winked once at Yuki before snatching Fuka's red cup. "Maybe you've had enough of… whatever this is," he chuckled.

"Give it back!" Fuka giggled loudly, obviously intoxicated by whatever she was drinking. She leaned her entire body over Idou, reaching for the cup. Her boobs pressed lightly into to his chest as her face got closer and closer to his. Her arm reached over his head, but he was laughing at her, playing along and holding her cup just out of reach.

"Where…," Yuki trailed off, looking around. "Where's Sayori? And Kasumi?"

"Who gives a fuck where Kasumi is?" Fuka shouted, touching her nose to Idou's and pouting her lips in his face. He smiled at her, not seeming to be very conscious of her closeness. Maybe he was used to this kind of behavior from girls… Yuki frowned, but noticed how the blonde vampire kept his mouth just out of reach for her friend. She was happy to see that he wasn't someone who would take advantage of another, even if Fuka wanted it. And the way she started wrapping her arms around his neck was proof enough of her desires.

Although, she felt a bit bad for Kasumi. Fuka was quite dense, to say the least, and she didn't exactly realize Kasumi's intentions. Yuki supported her friends, and seeing Fuka flaunt her drunk self to a stranger while Kasumi was probably hiding somewhere because of it was… it was just sad to her. And even more so because she knew who this gorgeous man really was. Of course, she knew that vampires and humans could definitely be together… but it was something she'd be wary about for her friends. She'd never really considered the fact that Kaname was a vampire, because she'd never known until recently. So the idea of a human-vampire relationship never even crossed her mind, until now.

"Oh, come on!" Fuka suddenly play-shouted, leaning her body forward again, purposefully pressing most of her upper body into Idou's. Nadeshiko turned and watched with her lips slightly parted and Yuki blinked in shock. She ran her hands over his chest and started to move her fingers down in circles. It wasn't hard to guess that her end goal was the button on the front of his pants.

"Fuka!" Yuki found herself yelling, and she stood up too fast from the bench. Immediately, Idou was beside her, holding her upright before she toppled over, and Fuka barely managed to catch herself from falling to the side where he'd been a moment before.

"Wow," she slurred, "You're really fast."

"Stay seated for a little while longer, please," he said, and Yuki's eyebrows scrunched. What was that tone he used? He was being awfully formal to her now. "I'd be in a lot of trouble if anything were to happen to you. So, please stay here until you feel normal again."

"I… I want Kaname," she suddenly said, frowning at her own words and tone. She sounded so pathetic to herself just now.

"I know," Idou murmured. "Please sit down for now. I'm going to need to leave at some point to find your friends, but I need to make sure you're okay first."

"I'm fine," Yuki breathed, giving him a light shove and sitting back on the bench. Fuka shot her a glare, but she ignored it. Nadeshiko was just watching them all with a happy-go-lucky grin on her face. She'd never seen Nadeshiko drunk before, but she always assumed the shy girl would be a hyper drunk—the opposite of her normal personality. She definitely didn't have as much as Fuka.

"Just… sit, please," Idou smiled at her and she nodded. He helped her back down. Standing up made her realize that she'd been a bit dizzier than she thought she was. She leaned forward and put her head between her legs. "You okay?" Idou asked slowly, and she felt his gentle palm on her back.

" _I'm_ not okay," Fuka muttered, "Why don't you come over here and help _me_?"

"I'll be there in a second," the blonde vampire said with a smile, and Fuka blushed and giggled. "Here," he whispered, and Yuki looked up a bit to find him holding out a phone to her. She narrowed her eyes because of the blur coming back, and tried staring at the screen. It was too bright for her and she looked away. "Come on, take it," he pressed, and Yuki groaned. Using whatever energy she had left, she lifted one arm and grabbed the phone out of his hand. "Here. Look," he said again, and he scrolled through some things with one finger in front of her face. Yuki squinted and managed to make out a list of contacts. She immediately spotted Kaname's name, and more importantly, his last name.

Kuran.

She'd always wanted to know, but she always forgot to ask him. Kaname Kuran… It sounded nice in her head, and her instinct was to say it out loud. She parted her lips, but Idou pressed down on the screen with his finger and it started a call. Yuki jumped and almost dropped the phone on the sidewalk, but Idou held the back of her hand and just laughed a little.

"Go on," he said, and then quickly moved back to occupy Fuka again, who started giggling even louder. Yuki gulped and put the phone to her ear, and lowered her head again to stop the dizziness from coming back.

"Idou," his voice came through immediately. She didn't even hear it ring. God, he sounded amazing, as always. His voice was like nectar to her ears. Dark and sweet. "Is something wrong? Is she safe?"

"Kaname…" she said softly, grabbing the phone with both her hands and pressing it closer to the side of her face. "It's me."

There was a slight pause, and then, "Yuki…" He said her name like usual and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. "Are you alright? Is Idou with you?"

"I'm fine," she whispered, smiling to herself. "Yea, he found us."

" _Found_ you? Found you where? And who's us? There's someone with you?" Yuki paused, forgetting that he probably didn't know anything about tonight. In fact... he knew nothing about the club or her friends or her trip into the city. He probably thought she'd stayed home this whole time, doing homework and sitting by herself in her room. She'd just figured maybe Idou had kept him updated… but maybe he didn't. "Yuki? Are you still there? What's wrong? Where are you? Where's Idou? Who's there with you now?"

"I'm fine," she quickly repeated, trying to figure out a way to explain things. He just sounded so nervous… And a part of her felt bad about going out tonight, and for a moment she was tempted to lie to him about it all. She didn't want him to know, as if he was her father or something… He was starting to sound like him, too. She hoped it was more worry than control…

"Where's Idou?" he asked again.

"He's right here—"

"Put him on the phone."

Yuki frowned. "But… he let me use his phone so I could talk to you."

"I know. And we can talk later. But I need to speak with him now. Please give him the phone."

"I…" Yuki lowered her eyes. Why was he treating her like some misunderstanding child? She tried to look over at Idou without him noticing, but he locked eyes with her in a moment and lifted an eyebrow.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"He… wants to talk to you," Yuki said sadly, pursing her lips. She'd really hoped to talk to him just now, and she felt disappointed. Sadness crept into her head as she started to pull the phone away from her ear. She paused for a second. "Kaname," she whispered.

"Yes, Yuki?" he replied, but she didn't know what to say to him in that moment. He felt different from the way he always did to her. He felt… farther away. Maybe because it was the first time she'd talked to him over the phone, but… it still felt odd.

She didn't respond to him. She just pushed Idou's phone at him a little too hard. He blinked at her a few times before taking the phone and pressing it to his ear.

"Hey, it's me," he said, but quickly after his face turned a bit pale and he nodded a couple times. "Yea," he said, after a long pause. "Yea, she's fine now… Yea, at a club down by forty-second… I—I don't know… No, she's fine… Just one drink… No, she's okay now… Just some friends, probably from school… No, she never went home. That's why it took me—… I'm sorry… Yea, I will… Sorry…" He hung up and quickly shoved his phone in his front pocket. He then turned back to Yuki and forced a broken smile. "He's not very happy with me," he laughed, but he was a little nervous, like a freshly reprimanded child. Yuki frowned up at him, feeling more like the child in this situation. Why did Kaname have to ask Idou all about her and what happened tonight? Why didn't he just ask her himself? It wasn't even that big of a deal. Nothing happened. And she'd been on the phone… Did he not trust her or something? She frowned at the ground and lowered her gaze. Her high was long gone.

"What… did he say?" Yuki dared to ask.

"You know, the usual," he nervous-laughed again. Yuki wanted to say that she didn't know what "the usual" was, considering that she'd only known him, really, for a few days. "He wanted to know everything, made a couple angry remarks and fake threats… But he'll be fine in the morning… I hope." Idou smirked.

"So… now what?" she asked slowly. More importantly, what she really wanted to ask was whether or not she was going to see him when she got home tonight. Maybe a perk of him being a little mad at her was that he'd come to see her and talk. And he'd promised to talk to her before… right?

"I need to get you home," Idou said. "I'll find your other friends once you're safe in your own bed."

"What?" Yuki said, "No, you can't do that. It'll take us twenty minutes to get back to my house. We need to find them now. And what about Fuka and Nadeshiko? We can't just leave them here alone."

"Sorry, Kaname's orders."

" _Orders_?" Yuki gawked. What was this hot blonde vampire his slave or something? That was ridiculous. "Well, _I'm_ saying that I'm not going home until I know that all my friends are safe and at least on their way home. I won't go back until I know they're all okay."

"I'm sure they're _fine_ ," Fuka crowed, nearly falling forward off the bench. Was she getting worse? Yuki thought Idou had taken away her cup. "And to be honest, I think it would be good for Kasumi to have to walk home after all those nasty things he said to me. We should just find Sayori and her car and leave him here for the night. Teach him a lesson or two in how to be a _gentleman_." She stressed the last word as she cuddled back up to Idou, who was now back on his phone, typing away. Fuka frowned when she realized she was being ignored. "Hey, _you_ —"

"Yuki," he said quickly, not looking up from his texting. Fuka shot her another glare at stealing the vampire's attention from her. "I'll find your friends and I'll make sure they all get home safe. Kaname will come get you and bring you home."

"W—What? He's… coming here? _Now_?"

"He's been living in a building not far from here for a few months now. He'll be here in a minute." He scrolled over something in his phone. "Here, give me your number and I'll let you know when I've found your friends." He handed his phone over to her and she filled out the info and gave it back to him. He smiled at her and went back to texting. Fuka was getting less persistent now that her high seemed to be wearing off. She started leaning forward on the bench and Yuki frowned.

"Please watch her," she said softly. From what she remembered of Fuka in the past, her friend was always the excessive one, in anything she did. She just hoped she wouldn't be hugging a toilet tonight.

Idou smiled gently and nodded, and Yuki found herself wondering if men like him actually existed in the real world… No one was that nice. No one that she'd ever known, anyway. It was refreshing, to say the least. He seemed to have pure intentions and genuine compassion. Or maybe she was just reading him all wrong. After all, she would have never been able to guess Kaname's personality before she'd heard him speak. All she knew was that he cared for her, and when she was with him, she was safe. But even now, her first impressions might have been all wrong.

"Idou…" she said slowly.

"Hm?"

"Are vampires… all that different from humans?" she whispered, but when she looked up his face was unreadable. He stared back at her with a strange expression and she just stared back. After a few moments, he went back to smiling.

"You believe in vampires?" he asked playfully. "I think there must have been something really bad in whatever you drank if you're asking questions like _that_. You should be more careful next time you're out with your friends."

"You shouldn't have come out here in the first place," a familiar dark voice said sternly, and Yuki didn't have to look to know that it was him. "And there will be no _next time_."

"Whoa…" Fuka stammered, looking over Yuki's shoulder. Her jaw dropped, and Yuki swore she saw a bit of drool. But she didn't want to turn and see those sad, dark eyes. She felt like she was about to be punished. "Yuki, where do you _find_ these guys?" she whispered.

"Kaname—" Idou started, but he cut his words short. Yuki dared to look up at the blonde vampire and saw a slight look of fear on his face. He looked like he didn't want to be punished, either. His eyes trailed to the ground. "I… I'm sorry."

"All you had to do was watch her," Kaname said softly. "I don't have time for this tonight."

"I could have taken her home—"

"Just find the others."

"Yes, sir."

 _Sir_? Yuki managed to look up, but her eyes stopped at his chest. She didn't want to look farther up than that. She wasn't sure what would happen if their eyes met.

"Yuki," he finally said, using that long U-sound that she loved so much. But she couldn't find solace in his voice right now. She let her gaze fall back down to the ground between her feet. "Can you stand?"

"I'm fine," she said softly, knowingly repeating what she'd already told him on the phone. She knew she should stand up after telling him that she was okay, but she felt frozen to the seat. She didn't want to move because he was watching her. She'd never felt more self-conscious in her life.

But as her nervousness grew to the brim, she started to get a little angry. What right did he have to treat her this way? Why was he being so domineering? He wasn't her boss, and he certainly wasn't her father. He didn't have any obligation to—

"Yuki," he said, suddenly sitting down next to her. She slowly looked over at him, wondering if she should try to fight him about the way he was acting, but he wasn't looking back at her. He leaned forward on his knees and his sad eyes looked at the ground between his feet. "You didn't tell me you were going out tonight."

"I didn't realize I had to tell you where I was all the time," she said softly, hoping it was enough to get her point across. But he just looked up at her for a moment, behind his lashes and he looked flat-out miserable.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe. Please don't fight me."

"All right, let's go!" Idou called, holding out his hand to Fuka. Nadeshiko stood as well, but she was paying more attention to Yuki and Kaname. She looked wary at the dark-haired man before Yuki nodded at her and she followed Fuka and Idou. Kaname lowered his head again when they were all gone.

"I'm not fighting you," Yuki replied, after a long moment of silence. "But I don't… I wouldn't give up my freedom for safety, if that's what you're asking me to do. I'm not going to stay locked in my house all day because you think you need to know where I am all the time."

"Did you not see me the other night? When I came into your room covered in blood?"

"I… of course I saw you."

"I had to kill a Level E who was hunting you down that night, and here in the city is where they thrive. I can guarantee that if you'd left that horrid place without Idou, something could have easily happened to you or your friends. The only reason you haven't seen a Level E already tonight is because Idou was with you, and they can sense his power like they can sense mine. And then you go and drink something so _foul_ that it destroys your senses…" He paused and muttered something cold under his breath before turning to her. "From this point of view, it seems like you're _asking_ for trouble, and I've told you about the dangers you face now. I just… expected you to listen to me and be more careful. If you can't even do that… If you don't understand how serious this is… Then I don't know what to do with you."

"You don't have to do anything with me!" Yuki suddenly blurted out. "I'm not going to be ordered around… And yes, I understand the dangers. I was attacked, remember? One of those monsters came into my room and tried to strangle me to death."

"That's not all it would have done to you."

Yuki sighed. She had the feeling they would go around and around in circles like this. He had an answer for everything she said, and defending herself seemed almost pointless.

"No more going out into the city at night," he said. "And if you go out, just tell me where you're going so I can have someone protect you. Is that so hard? Can you be rational with this? I know you want your freedom and you say you understand the risks, Yuki, but you were inebriated. As were your friends. You had no control over your own actions. Or maybe you did, which is even worse."

"Stop talking to me like I'm a child," she frowned.

"Then stop acting like one."

Yuki's lips parted as she stopped herself from shouting at him. "You're not my father," she said flatly, "You can't talk down to me like this. And you can't expect me to just bow down to you. I get it, I could have been in danger, but Idou was here. Nothing happened, and you told me someone would be watching me anyway."

"You think that's what I want? You think I want to put your life in someone else's hands?"

"It's not like you tried to be around…"

"Yuki…" he sighed, "I told you I have a lot of things I need to do right now. I couldn't be with you tonight. Is that what this is about, then? Are you trying to get back at me for not spending the night with you?"

"That's not it at all! You're twisting my words…"

"What other reason could you possibly have for doing this to me?"

"I didn't do anything to you. I just went out with my friends because I haven't spent time with them in, literally, _years_. This wasn't planned, either. It just happened this way. And everyone's fine."

"So, what then? You think I'm being dramatic?"

"No, I think you're being defensive. And I think you're used to getting your way all the time. I heard how Idou spoke to you… He's not equal to you, is he? He acts like you're his boss or something. And I think you must get that a lot from the way you're handling this..."

"Idou and I have been friends since we were children."

"Well, you don't act like friends…"

"And what are friends supposed to act like? When one asks another for a favor, should the other disobey them and do as they please, even if it puts someone very important to them in danger?"

"When you're friends with someone, there is no _obey_ or _disobey_." Yuki groaned. God, he was doing it again. How smoothly he could just change the subject. "Listen to me, okay? There is no obey and disobey with _us_ , either."

"But we're not just friends, Yuki."

"That's not the point! Just listen to me!"

"I am listening to you."

"No, you're not! You're trying to change the subject because that's what you _always_ do."

"I'm just trying to protect you."

"I'm done," Yuki said, standing from the bench. "I'm going home now."

"I'll take you." Kaname stood and stepped beside her, but she paused, inhaled, and turned to him.

"How about you _ask_ if you can take me home, instead of just _assuming_ that's what I want."

"Whether you want me with you or not, it's not safe for you to be walking alone here at this hour."

"Maybe I want Idou to take me home, then. You said the Level E's can sense his power and avoid him like they avoid you. So, it's just as safe for me to be here with him as it is for me to stay with you, right?"

"Why are you being so difficult? Does it bother you that much that you can't always do as you wish? Just like there are laws and regulations in the world, there are just some things that you cannot do right now. If you don't want to speak to me, then I will walk behind you, but if I leave you to go home by yourself, you will be attacked. I'm already sensing some Level E's in the area, and there's no doubt they've picked up your scent by now. I wouldn't be surprised if they were watching us at this very moment."

"Now you're trying to scare me?"

"If that's what it takes to keep you safe. But what I say to you isn't a lie. They are here, and they are around us." He sighed again. "Please, let me take you home, Yuki."

She folded her arms and turned away from him. A huge part of her was being stubborn and angry, she knew, but a small part of her that she barely noticed before was surfacing. This wasn't what she imagined when she pictured her mysterious nighttime visitor. She's always pictured him as, stupidly enough, someone perfect. Or at least, someone perfect for her. Someone who would talk to her and listen to her and understand her. And hearing him now… Kaname wasn't who she'd been expecting. Sure, he was sexy, and seeing his face and his body made butterflies flutter in her stomach. And she loved it when he kissed her, but… she hated it when he tried to control her. She knew tonight had been a bad idea, and she regretted it… The memory of kissing that stranger by the bar, thinking it was Kaname, made her want to cry her heart out. Because she hadn't been picturing herself kissing the man standing before her now, but the dream she'd always kept close to her heart. It hurt that they were two very different things. The Kaname she'd waited up all night for, and the Kaname she could turn around and see in this moment…

"I think… I'd like to walk alone," she said sadly. "You can follow me and protect me, or whatever you have to do, but… I'd like to be left alone."

And then she started walking.


End file.
